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Letters / Wind farm developments can cause mental health issues

I read with interest the article about Shetland Mental Health Awareness Week. It is commendable that Councillor Leask states: ” We have to keep mental health as a significant issue that always has to be of high concern for Shetland” (Councillor’s mental health reminder as awareness week kicks off; SN, 13 May 2019).

So he is obviously well versed on the serious health problems involved with mental health.

Stress and anxiety are both mental health problems.

There are many people who have lived with this for over ten years due to the consent given for the Viking Energy wind farm, but I have not been aware of any support for them by Cllr Leask or any other councillors.

Maybe the stress of being forced to live in a construction site and wind farm – as the likelihood of anyone wanting to buy your property seems remote – never mind the subsequent physical health effects probably just doesn’t add up to enough Brownie points for Mr Leask to take that into consideration?

Past councillors could plead ignorance about health problems and the associated mental health issues. However at the initial Viking Energy planning meeting despite all the information out there – if the councillors had even bothered to read about it – decided in their questionable wisdom to give it permission to go ahead.

However this cannot be said for present day councillors who were well aware of worldwide health concerns when they nodded through planning permission for the extra ten metres in height for the VE central mainland turbines and then latterly the Mossy Hill windfarm.

Does Cllr Leask have any compunction when he goes on to state: “What we are trying to achieve is for the well being and betterment of the individuals in our community”?

I hope all the wide range of activities and planned events are a success and go on to help and advise some people but it will take more than that to alleviate the severe stress created by planned wind farms on affected individuals in our community.

Maybe there’s just not quite the same kudos in speaking up about that?